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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. game — a match
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. game — wild animals
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. squash — to crush
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pit — in a race

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