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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. squash — the sport
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. perch — the fish
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. kid — to tease
  8. snap — to click
  9. kid — child
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. staff — employees
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — moving air
  17. squash — to crush
  18. board — a committee
  19. ground — crushed
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ground — a position
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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