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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: lie · bowl · fall · net · board · toast · court · tube

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. board — to get on
  4. net — after costs
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. net — in sport
  9. tube — the underground
  10. court — of a king
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — a container
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. fall — the season
  16. net — for catching
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. toast — bread
  19. board — a committee
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — a dish

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