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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. board — a committee
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. roll — a list
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mine — for digging

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