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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — a grade
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. board — a committee
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. field — for sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mate — to breed
  22. board — to get on
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mate — a partner

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