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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. toast — bread
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. squash — the sport
  9. band — a ring
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. shower — rain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. band — a music group
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mate — a friend
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. shower — to wash
  23. board — to get on
  24. toast — the most admired

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