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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. root — of a word
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — to get on
  13. root — the cause
  14. mine — for digging
  15. squash — to crush
  16. board — a committee
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — an injury

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