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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: foot · can · squash · sharp · spell · cold · pitch · tube

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cold — an illness
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. can — a tin
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tube — a container
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — the underground
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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