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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. net — for catching
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. board — to get on
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — letters
  12. net — after costs
  13. clip — a video
  14. spell — magic
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. net — in sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bowl — to roll

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