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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. board — to get on
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spell — letters
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. board — a committee
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stock — goods
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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