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

Word bank: bowl · row · cell · squash · lie · board · mark · snap

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. snap — to click
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. row — to paddle
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mark — a grade
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cell — a phone
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cell — in biology
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. row — a line
  21. squash — the sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lie — an untruth

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