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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cold — not warm
  4. clip — a video
  5. pound — a weight
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. squash — to crush
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. board — a committee
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. press — to push
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cold — an illness
  18. spell — a short time
  19. press — a publisher
  20. board — to get on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. dip — to sink
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cold — the Cold War

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