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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. wound — an injury
  6. board — to get on
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. deal — to handle
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. game — wild animals
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. game — a match
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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