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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. last — final
  5. board — a committee
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bass — the fish
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hand — help
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. hand — in cards
  15. roll — a list
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. last — to go on
  21. bass — low music
  22. squash — to crush
  23. last — finally
  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