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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lean — thin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. board — a committee
  10. tube — the underground
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tube — a container
  20. snap — to click
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lean — to bend

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