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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. can — a tin
  3. board — a committee
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — to crush
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. chip — to eat
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fall — the season
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — to drop
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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