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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 116 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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. snap — to click
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — the season
  5. board — a committee
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. band — a ring
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fine — high quality
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fine — all right
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. spring — of water
  23. cap — of ice
  24. band — a music group

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