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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. deal — to handle
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — wild animals
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. squash — the sport
  16. kid — child
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kid — to tease
  23. board — a committee
  24. game — a kind of play

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