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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chip — for betting
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — completely
  8. hand — help
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mate — to breed
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. hand — in cards

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