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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. key — in music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. key — the most important part
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. swing — to play on
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. squash — to crush
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — 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