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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. march — music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mug — a cup
  7. net — in sport
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. march — the month
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ground — a position
  13. snap — to click
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitch — completely
  19. net — for catching
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. net — after costs
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mug — to rob
  24. march — the month

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