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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. staff — a stick
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. staff — employees
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. board — a committee
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. track — a song
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. roll — a list
  14. board — to get on
  15. pop — soda
  16. roll — a cake
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — a path
  19. staff — employees
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cold — an illness
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pop — music

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