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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. object — a thing
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. season — of the year
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. swing — music
  15. file — a document
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. file — a tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. season — in sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. swing — in golf
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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