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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for golf
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rash — a series
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mate — a friend
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. club — a group
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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