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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — tied together
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. staff — employees
  19. present — there
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. present — a gift

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