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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. track — a path
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — a phone
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. track — a song
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — a jug

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