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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kick — in football
  4. squash — the sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. spring — the season
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pitch — completely
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. spring — of water
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stock — goods
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stock — shares
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. last — to go on
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — final
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bore — gave birth

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