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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. band — a music group
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. face — to confront
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. face — to point toward
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. dip — a sauce

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