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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — magic
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. land — ground
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitch — completely
  11. staff — a stick
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mine — for digging
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. land — a country
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spell — letters
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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