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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stand — to bear
  10. squash — to crush
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — child
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wound — an injury
  17. object — a thing
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. object — to protest
  20. prune — to trim
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. object — an aim
  24. prune — the fruit

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