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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rule — government
  5. squash — to crush
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rock — a stone
  11. board — a committee
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fork — in a road
  14. band — a music group
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. last — finally
  19. rule — a law
  20. board — to get on
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rock — 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