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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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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 · pitcher · last · rule · jam · bowl · net · stand

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. net — after costs
  3. last — finally
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — government
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rule — a law
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. board — to get on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stand — to bear
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. last — to go on
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. last — final

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