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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — clothes
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. board — to get on
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — a subject
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. squash — the sport
  13. clip — for paper
  14. field — for sport
  15. clip — a video
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. clip — to cut
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. field — farmland
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. board — a committee
  23. dip — to sink
  24. suit — to fit

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