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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. land — to come down
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rock — music
  9. land — a country
  10. squash — to crush
  11. dip — to sink
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pitch — completely
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. land — ground
  18. wind — moving air
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rock — a stone
  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