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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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468
Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. toast — bread
  3. can — to be able to
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. land — ground
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. roll — a cake
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. roll — a list
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — a country
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. can — a tin
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. can — a tin
  24. swing — music

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