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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fall — the season
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stand — to bear
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a document
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com