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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. board — to get on
  4. shower — to wash
  5. field — a subject
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — farmland
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mate — a friend
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mate — to breed
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. field — for sport
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. squash — to crush
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. squash — the sport
  24. snap — to click

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