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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. squash — to crush
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — finally
  6. pop — music
  7. pitch — completely
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. land — a country
  12. scale — size or range
  13. land — to come down
  14. squash — the sport
  15. last — final
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. object — an aim
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. last — to go on
  21. object — a thing
  22. pop — soda
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. land — ground

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