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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mark — a trace
  4. plane — a tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mark — a grade
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. drill — a practice

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