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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 · bat · cabinet · bowl · board · club · pitcher · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — a group
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. club — for golf
  9. board — to get on
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. board — a committee
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lie — to recline

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