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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. face — part of the head
  4. court — of a king
  5. land — to come down
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — a country
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. board — to get on
  12. face — to confront
  13. land — ground
  14. face — to point toward
  15. net — after costs
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. court — of law
  22. board — a committee
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stem — of a plant

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