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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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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: board · rule · roll · pitcher · rock · saw · wound · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. board — to get on
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — the fruit
  13. board — a committee
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. roll — a list
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rule — government
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rule — a law

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