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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: ground · wind · bay · stick · spell · bowl · pitcher · board

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. ground — a position
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ground — the earth
  8. board — to get on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. spell — magic
  21. board — a committee
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. spell — letters
  24. board — a flat piece

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