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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pop — soda
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pop — music
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pop — to visit
  10. current — of water
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. board — a committee
  19. current — electric
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. current — happening now
  22. key — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. board — a flat piece

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