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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. board — a committee
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — to get on
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bound — tied together
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bound — certain
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — to crush
  21. tube — a container
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — a football final

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