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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rash — a series
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pound — a weight
  9. squash — to crush
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rash — hasty
  24. row — a line

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