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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spring — a coil
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — to go on
  6. spring — of water
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spring — the season
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rock — music
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. last — finally
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. last — final
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. land — ground
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. tube — the underground
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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