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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 120 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: wake · ball · pitch · squash · spell · saw · staff · field

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. staff — a stick
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — a subject
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. spell — a short time

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