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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hand — help
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. can — a tin
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. board — a committee
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. march — music
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. snap — to click
  15. board — to get on
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hand — in cards
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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