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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cell — a phone
  4. board — to get on
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. last — finally
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fork — in a road
  21. toast — bread
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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