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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 120 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. board — to get on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. squash — the sport
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bass — the fish
  7. snap — to click
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a committee
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — to confront
  16. root — of a word
  17. face — to point toward
  18. root — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — the vegetable

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