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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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Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. perch — the fish
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. squash — the sport
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. charge — electricity
  14. kick — in football
  15. board — a committee
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — a position
  20. board — to get on
  21. squash — to crush
  22. ground — the earth
  23. charge — in control
  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