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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: rock · bowl · pitcher · land · pass · board · band · face

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — a country
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. board — to get on
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. band — a music group
  14. face — to confront
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — to come down
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. band — a ring
  22. land — ground
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bowl — to roll

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