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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spell — magic
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — a line
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. board — a committee
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mug — a face
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spell — letters
  21. chest — a box
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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