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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. foot — a measure
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. last — finally
  7. squash — the sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. squash — to crush
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — in cards
  17. board — a committee
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. chest — of your body
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. last — final
  23. hand — help
  24. scale — for weighing

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