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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cell — in biology
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cell — a phone
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — to get on
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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