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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. net — for catching
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. band — a ring
  9. row — a line
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spring — the season
  13. band — a music group
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. board — a committee
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. board — to get on
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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