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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. board — to get on
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — to crush
  5. land — ground
  6. last — finally
  7. land — a country
  8. object — a thing
  9. root — the cause
  10. object — to protest
  11. pitch — completely
  12. last — to go on
  13. object — an aim
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — final
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. land — to come down
  24. squash — the vegetable

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