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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. roll — a cake
  3. board — a committee
  4. last — final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cap — a hat
  7. roll — a list
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cap — of ice
  10. last — finally
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. last — to go on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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