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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · deal · toast · board · squash · track

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. toast — bread
  4. track — a song
  5. board — a committee
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. track — a path
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ball — a dance
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. squash — to crush
  15. track — to keep track
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. toast — the most admired

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