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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. field — a subject
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. club — for golf
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. board — to get on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. squash — the sport
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. snap — to click
  17. club — for dancing
  18. board — a committee
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cue — a hint

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