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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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468
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: wake · staff · squash · pitcher · rule · chest · stick · board

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. staff — employees
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rule — a law
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chest — of your body
  19. board — a committee
  20. chest — of your body
  21. squash — to crush
  22. board — to get on
  23. rule — government
  24. staff — employees

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