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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. face — to confront
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chair — a leader
  7. board — to get on
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rest — what's left
  15. squash — the sport
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rest — a break
  19. board — a committee
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ruler — for measuring

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