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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — to come down
  5. board — to get on
  6. land — a country
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — a committee
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — ground
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — of the year
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — in a road
  24. season — in sport

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