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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. scale — size or range
  3. board — a committee
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. charge — electricity
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wound — an injury
  22. board — to get on
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. board — a flat piece

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