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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. net — for catching
  3. firm — steady
  4. net — in sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. board — to get on
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bat — the animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. shower — rain
  15. firm — decided
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — a company
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. shower — to wash
  23. foot — a measure
  24. board — a committee

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