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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ground — a position
  7. spell — magic
  8. deal — to handle
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. board — a committee
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. board — to get on

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