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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: ball · file · pop · chip · wind · squash · lie · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wind — moving air
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. file — a tool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wind — moving air
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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