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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. roll — a cake
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cell — a phone
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pit — in a race
  24. date — the fruit

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