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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — to crush
  4. swing — in golf
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. hand — help
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. swing — music
  9. march — the month
  10. board — a committee
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spell — magic
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. hand — in cards
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — to get on
  20. swing — to play on
  21. march — music
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. scale — in 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