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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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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: trunk · game · spell · rest · mate · rash · board · squash

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. board — a committee
  5. rest — a break
  6. rash — hasty
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rash — a series
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mate — to breed
  24. trunk — of a car

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