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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pop — soda
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spell — letters
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pop — music
  8. present — the time now
  9. spell — magic
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — a gift
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rash — a series
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hand — help
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. hand — in cards
  20. present — there
  21. board — to get on
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pop — to visit

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