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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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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 · pitch · swing · cabinet · hand · pound · bear · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pound — a weight
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. swing — in golf
  18. hand — help
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. swing — music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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