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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.

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: row · squash · roll · pitch · bear · cabinet · band · file

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. row — to paddle
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pitch — completely
  11. roll — a cake
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. file — a tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. roll — a list
  20. row — a line
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. file — a document

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