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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 120 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. game — a match
  4. squash — the sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. squash — to crush
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mark — a grade
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. board — a committee
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. dip — to sink
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. perch — the fish

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