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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: squash · scale · board · dip · cap · track · fan · land

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cap — of ice
  9. scale — size or range
  10. squash — to crush
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. board — a committee
  15. dip — to sink
  16. board — to get on
  17. land — a country
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cap — a lid
  22. track — a song
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. squash — the vegetable

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