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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: game · march · prune · squash · pitch · spell · present · rash

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — a series
  5. prune — to trim
  6. squash — the sport
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rash — hasty
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — to crush
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spell — letters
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. present — a gift
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. prune — to trim

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