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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. firm — decided
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. board — a committee
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cue — for pool
  12. track — a song
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. board — to get on
  17. cue — a signal
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. firm — steady
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. firm — a company
  24. lean — thin

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