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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitch — completely
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rest — a break
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — to hurry

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