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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 · bowl · arm · mug · mine · tear · toast · bat

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bat — the animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. board — a committee
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mine — for digging
  22. tear — from crying
  23. toast — bread
  24. board — to get on

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