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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. object — to protest
  4. squash — to crush
  5. object — a thing
  6. wound — an injury
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rule — a law
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. object — an aim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. board — a committee
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bore — to tire
  22. chip — to eat
  23. board — to get on
  24. rule — government

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