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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spell — magic
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spell — letters
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spell — a short time
  10. board — to get on
  11. pound — a weight
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. board — a committee
  20. mine — for digging
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. branch — a division
  24. ball — a great time

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