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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. roll — a list
  4. game — wild animals
  5. board — a committee
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — to get on
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. game — a match
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. branch — a division
  18. roll — on a roll

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