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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. club — for golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. can — to be able to
  5. board — a committee
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. squash — the sport
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — to get on
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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