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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. board — a committee
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bowl — a football final

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