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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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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: squash · kick · rest · spell · field · pitch · mate · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mate — a partner
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — completely
  10. spell — magic
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rest — what's left
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rest — a break
  23. mate — a friend
  24. kick — in football

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