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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: cold · dip · squash · cap · board · drill · rock · rest

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rest — what's left
  3. board — to get on
  4. drill — army training
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. dip — to sink
  17. drill — the tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. rest — a break
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cap — a hat

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