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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. board — a committee
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pitch — completely
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. board — to get on
  18. last — to go on
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hand — help
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hand — part of the body

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