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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. row — a line
  6. pound — a weight
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. wax — to grow
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. straw — dry grass

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