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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. content — the amount
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. land — to come down
  8. race — the arms race
  9. net — after costs
  10. race — humankind
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. net — in sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. content — happy
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. board — a committee
  17. land — a country
  18. net — for catching
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. race — a contest
  21. field — for sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. land — ground
  24. field — a subject

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