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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. board — a committee
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — the month
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. march — the month
  23. dip — to sink
  24. plane — in geometry

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