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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. cell — in biology
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cell — a phone
  7. staff — employees
  8. board — a committee
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chair — a leader
  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