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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. last — final
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — to go on
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. board — a committee
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. last — finally

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