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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cold — an illness
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cold — not warm
  8. board — a committee
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. board — to get on
  24. mouse — the animal

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