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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: squash · arm · pitcher · pop · land · race · toast · staff

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. race — a contest
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. squash — to crush
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. squash — the sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. land — to come down
  17. race — the arms race
  18. land — ground
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pop — to visit
  21. land — a country
  22. pop — soda
  23. race — humankind
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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