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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. file — a document
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. firm — decided
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chest — of your body
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. firm — a company
  16. chest — a box
  17. firm — steady
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — of your body
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spell — a short time
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. squash — the sport
  24. spell — letters

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