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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. board — to get on
  3. court — for sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. object — an aim
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. court — of law
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — to come down
  17. object — a thing
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. court — of a king
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. nail — for a hammer

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