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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mate — a partner
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mate — to breed
  9. board — a committee
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pitch — completely
  23. board — to get on
  24. cell — in biology

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