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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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. field — a subject
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — for sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cue — a hint
  17. board — a committee
  18. sharp — clever
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — farmland
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cue — a signal
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bat — for baseball

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