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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 116 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: board · object · ball · pitcher · ground · current · bowl · straw

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. object — to protest
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. current — of water
  8. board — to get on
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. current — happening now
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. object — an aim
  19. ground — crushed
  20. current — electric
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. object — a thing

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