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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 124 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bat — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. key — for a lock
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. can — a tin
  24. key — in music

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