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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. season — of the year
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. degree — temperature
  12. season — in sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mug — a cup
  17. degree — from a university
  18. game — a match
  19. degree — an amount
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cue — a signal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mug — a face
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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