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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mark — a grade
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. object — to protest
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fine — high quality
  12. object — a thing
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. object — an aim
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mark — a trace

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