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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spring — of water
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rush — hurry
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. race — humankind
  24. rush — to hurry

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