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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fall — the season
  3. row — a line
  4. fall — to drop
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fork — in a road
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. bound — certain
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bound — tied together
  21. root — of a word
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bound — obliged
  24. file — a tool

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