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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: board · pitcher · cell · cabinet · present · land · lie · swing

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. land — to come down
  4. swing — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. board — to get on
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — in biology
  13. present — a gift
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. present — there
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. lie — to recline
  22. swing — in golf
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — in a prison

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