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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — final
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. last — to go on
  8. rock — music
  9. club — for golf
  10. squash — to crush
  11. object — an aim
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. rock — a stone
  15. object — a thing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. club — for dancing
  20. last — finally
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — a group
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rock — to move gently

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