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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · squash · track · pitch · wave · mine · object · swing

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. swing — to play on
  3. object — an aim
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ground — the earth
  8. track — a path
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. swing — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. track — to keep track
  17. object — a thing
  18. track — a song
  19. object — to protest
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — for digging
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wave — of the sea
  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