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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 · root · pass · cabinet · last · board · wave · sharp

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. board — a committee
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. last — finally
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pass — a permit
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. last — to go on
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. root — the cause
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. sharp — clever
  20. root — of a word
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. board — to get on
  24. pass — to succeed

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