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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 · tear · bay · mug · hand · board · date · cue

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. board — a committee
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mug — a face
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. board — to get on
  11. hand — help
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. squash — to crush
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mug — a cup
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. hand — in cards
  22. tear — from crying
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cue — a hint

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