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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. can — to be able to
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. can — a tin
  7. board — to get on
  8. squash — to crush
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. can — a tin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. board — a committee
  23. squash — the sport
  24. board — a flat piece

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