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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. spell — a short time
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. land — ground
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. kick — in football
  15. dip — to sink
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. board — to get on
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. board — a committee
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. deal — to handle

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