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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. board — a committee
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cold — not warm
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — soda
  10. cold — an illness
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. capital — money
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. board — to get on
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pop — to visit
  23. capital — a city
  24. bay — a horse colour

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