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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chair — a leader
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. row — to paddle
  18. board — a committee
  19. squash — to crush
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. saw — the tool
  22. board — to get on
  23. row — a line
  24. lash — to lash out

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