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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 · dip · plane · saw · bat · cue · cap · land

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cue — a signal
  3. land — ground
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. board — a committee
  9. land — to come down
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. land — a country
  14. cue — for pool
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cap — a lid
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. cap — of ice
  24. plane — a tool

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