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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. board — a committee
  5. season — of the year
  6. fall — the season
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — in sport
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. scale — in music
  14. capital — money
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. tear — to rip
  22. capital — a city
  23. scale — size or range
  24. capital — a big letter

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