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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. content — happy
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. content — the amount
  7. foot — a measure
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. board — a committee
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. board — to get on
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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