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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bulb — for light
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lean — thin
  23. mate — a partner
  24. squash — the vegetable

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