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

Word bank: foot · key · saw · pitch · dip · field · race · squash

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. key — for a lock
  6. squash — to crush
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. race — a contest
  14. foot — a measure
  15. field — a subject
  16. race — humankind
  17. field — for sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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