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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. board — to get on
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. file — a document
  11. board — a committee
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. lean — to bend
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play

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