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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. face — to point toward
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. board — to get on
  14. content — the amount
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. march — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. board — a committee

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