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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: clip · toast · chest · dip · roll · squash · board · pass

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. clip — a video
  12. toast — bread
  13. roll — a cake
  14. board — a committee
  15. clip — to cut
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chest — a box
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. dip — to sink
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — the sport

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