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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. swing — to play on
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitch — completely
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. swing — in golf
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mine — for digging
  19. swing — music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. plane — a tool

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