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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 124 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fork — in a road
  18. toast — bread
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. board — to get on
  24. fall — to drop

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