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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: board · cabinet · bat · jam · squash · sharp · mug · mark

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mark — a trace
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — the animal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — a grade
  15. sharp — clever
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. board — a committee
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mug — a face
  24. jam — in traffic

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