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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 120 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: snap · fork · bay · pitcher · board · race · mine · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. race — a contest
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. snap — to click
  9. board — to get on
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. squash — the sport
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fork — in a road
  20. race — humankind
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. board — a committee
  23. mine — for digging
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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