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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — in sport
  4. dip — to sink
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. board — to get on
  7. scale — in music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. season — of the year
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. race — humankind
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. club — for golf
  18. drill — army training
  19. race — a contest
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. drill — a practice
  23. club — a group
  24. race — the arms race

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