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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. board — a committee
  7. can — a tin
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lie — to recline
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — the animal
  14. can — to be able to
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — a box
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fine — all right
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. date — the fruit

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