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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: squash · club · band · pop · pitch · cold · bear · staff

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. band — a ring
  8. staff — employees
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. band — a music group
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. staff — employees
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. club — for dancing
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. squash — the sport

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