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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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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: sharp · squash · prune · suit · rush · file · game · board

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. squash — the sport
  7. board — a committee
  8. suit — in cards
  9. sharp — clever
  10. board — to get on
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. file — a tool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. file — a line of people
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. squash — to crush
  19. game — a match
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. file — a document
  22. rush — hurry
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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