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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 120 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: board · game · squash · charge · perch · kid · snap · stick

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. game — wild animals
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. game — a match
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. squash — the sport
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — to get on
  22. kid — child
  23. charge — electricity
  24. squash — to crush

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