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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ground — a position
  3. land — a country
  4. board — a committee
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — in sport
  10. key — in music
  11. board — to get on
  12. land — ground
  13. key — for a lock
  14. land — to come down
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ground — crushed
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. board — a flat piece

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