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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: fan · squash · rest · mouse · pitch · arm · cold · drill

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. drill — army training
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rest — a break
  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