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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bass — the fish
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. board — a committee
  7. present — there
  8. game — a match
  9. plane — a tool
  10. present — a gift
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. ground — a position
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. board — to get on
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. game — wild animals
  19. present — the time now
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. sharp — clever
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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