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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. squash — to crush
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. board — to get on
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. content — the amount
  18. squash — the sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cell — in biology
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. board — a committee
  24. content — happy

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