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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bass — low music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — to crush
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. board — a committee
  14. snap — to click
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bass — the fish
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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