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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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. board — a committee
  3. squash — the sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. board — to get on
  7. drill — army training
  8. plane — a tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a tool
  16. rock — music
  17. file — a document
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rock — a stone
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rest — a break
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. drill — a practice
  24. net — for catching

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