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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. board — a committee
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bank — of a river
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cap — a lid
  7. board — to get on
  8. bank — for money
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cold — not warm
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cap — a hat
  18. foot — a measure
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bank — for money
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chip — for betting
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chip — in a computer

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