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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 116 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: pitch · cap · cold · game · club · dip · rule · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. dip — to sink
  11. game — a match
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pitch — completely
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rule — government
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cap — a lid
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cold — an illness
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rule — a law

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