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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cap — of ice
  4. field — for sport
  5. board — a committee
  6. stem — to come from
  7. board — to get on
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cap — a lid
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — farmland
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. field — a subject
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stem — of a plant

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