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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spell — a short time
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ground — a position
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rock — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitch — completely
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. spell — letters
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. squash — the vegetable

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