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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. chip — to eat
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. face — part of the head
  8. board — a committee
  9. face — to point toward
  10. board — to get on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — to crush
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chip — for betting
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. club — for golf
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. club — a group

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