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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. land — ground
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. land — to come down
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hand — help
  8. board — a committee
  9. land — a country
  10. squash — to crush
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. board — to get on
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bass — low music
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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