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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: rest · rock · fall · season · pitch · mine · squash · tear

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — of the year
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitch — completely
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rock — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rest — a break
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitch — a sports field

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