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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: wake · squash · toast · kick · board · kid · cap · ball

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ball — a dance
  12. board — to get on
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. kid — child
  19. toast — bread
  20. cap — of ice
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kick — a thrill

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