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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. board — to get on
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. last — final
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. shower — to wash
  19. scale — in music
  20. last — to go on
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cap — of ice
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. board — a committee

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