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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · board · mine · ruler · sharp · pitcher · roll · lash

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. board — a committee
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. board — to get on
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. roll — a list
  23. mine — an explosive
  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