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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. field — for sport
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. last — to go on
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — a subject
  11. scale — size or range
  12. last — finally
  13. board — to get on
  14. field — farmland
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. squash — to crush
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — the sport
  23. last — final
  24. mug — a cup

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