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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. hand — help
  2. squash — to crush
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. board — to get on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. club — for golf
  15. squash — the sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. club — for dancing
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. wake — a trail
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. club — a group
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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