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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. cap — a hat
  3. ground — a position
  4. board — to get on
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cap — of ice
  8. degree — an amount
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. last — to go on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. degree — from a university
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. squash — the sport
  19. last — finally
  20. cap — a lid
  21. degree — temperature
  22. last — final
  23. lie — an untruth
  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