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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 120 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — for money
  3. can — a tin
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bank — for money
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. can — to be able to
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — finally
  22. can — a tin
  23. board — a committee
  24. season — of the year

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