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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rest — a break
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — a young animal

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