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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. board — to get on
  3. cold — an illness
  4. perch — the fish
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cold — not warm
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. board — a committee
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitch — completely
  16. face — to confront
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. spell — a short time
  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