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

Word bank: snap · pound · sharp · perch · squash · foot · mark · board

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mark — a trace
  11. board — a committee
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. snap — to click
  14. sharp — clever
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pound — a weight
  18. perch — the fish
  19. squash — to crush
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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