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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. last — to go on
  3. squash — to crush
  4. board — a committee
  5. net — after costs
  6. clip — for paper
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. board — to get on
  9. object — to protest
  10. net — for catching
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. clip — a video
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. clip — to cut
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — in sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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