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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. object — a thing
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. board — a committee
  8. content — the amount
  9. board — to get on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. object — to protest
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — magic
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. hand — help
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. object — an aim
  21. hand — in cards
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spell — letters

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