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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. land — to come down
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. sharp — clever
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. scale — size or range
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — a country
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. root — the cause
  20. land — ground
  21. board — to get on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — 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