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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · board · cell · wound · march · net · object · bowl

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. march — music
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — in biology
  7. object — a thing
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. object — to protest
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. net — for catching
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — to get on
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. march — the month
  23. object — an aim
  24. net — after costs

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