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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rush — hurry
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. squash — the sport
  5. board — to get on
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pop — music
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pop — soda
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pop — to visit
  19. board — a committee
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — the animal
  24. squash — to crush

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