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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. board — a committee
  6. current — electric
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. current — of water
  9. bear — the animal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. craft — boats
  14. current — happening now
  15. cold — an illness
  16. sharp — clever
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. ground — the earth
  19. squash — the sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. board — to get on
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bear — to put up with

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