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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stand — to bear
  6. board — a committee
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rule — government
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. hand — help
  18. board — to get on
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. spell — letters
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rule — a law
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. racket — for tennis

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