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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.

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: game · firm · board · wound · tear · fan · object · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. object — a thing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — wild animals
  8. board — to get on
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. game — a match
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. object — an aim
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. firm — a company
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. board — a committee
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. object — to protest
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  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