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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: lean · rock · foot · bowl · cold · toast · bore · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lean — thin
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. foot — a measure
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bore — to tire
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rock — a stone
  24. toast — bread

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