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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. dip — to sink
  3. squash — the sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. squash — to crush
  10. board — to get on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. board — a committee
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mug — a face
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cold — not warm
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mug — a cup
  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