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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: kick · object · squash · pitch · swing · face · date · cap

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. swing — in golf
  3. face — to confront
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cap — a hat
  8. swing — to play on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. face — part of the head
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitch — completely
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. date — the fruit
  21. squash — to crush
  22. kick — in football
  23. swing — music
  24. cap — a lid

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