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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. board — to get on
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cold — an illness
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. squash — the sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — a tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. foot — a measure
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rule — government
  17. cold — not warm
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — a law
  22. squash — to crush
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. plane — an aircraft

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