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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: squash · stick · board · club · wake · dip · cell · sharp

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. board — a committee
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — for golf
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cell — a phone
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. board — to get on
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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