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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wind — moving air
  3. band — a music group
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — the amount
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. squash — to crush
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. band — a ring
  13. content — happy
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. board — a committee
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wind — moving air
  22. plane — a tool
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wind — to turn a key

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