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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. field — for sport
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. board — to get on
  17. shower — rain
  18. ruler — a monarch

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