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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chair — a leader
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — ground
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rock — music
  7. bulb — for light
  8. land — a country
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. board — to get on
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bulb — for light
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. board — a committee

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