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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. snap — to click
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. board — a committee
  10. net — for catching
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — a leader
  15. net — after costs
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. net — in sport
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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