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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. band — a music group
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. suit — clothes
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a ring
  11. fine — all right
  12. spring — the season
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. squash — to crush
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fine — high quality
  20. race — the arms race
  21. spring — of water
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. suit — in cards
  24. pitch — completely

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