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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: bowl · bat · board · lash · press · bay · perch · mine

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. board — a committee
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. board — to get on
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bat — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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