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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 · game · nail · board · object · squash · saw · pop

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. board — to get on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pop — soda
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pop — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. game — a match
  12. board — a committee
  13. object — an aim
  14. pop — to visit
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. object — to protest
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — to crush
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. squash — the sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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