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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rule — government
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. squash — to crush
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rule — a law

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