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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: board · deal · cap · swing · wake · squash · hide · mine

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. board — a committee
  3. deal — to handle
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wake — a trail
  19. board — to get on
  20. swing — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. swing — in golf
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mine — an explosive

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