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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: can · land · bowl · pop · mark · board · mine · rest

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mark — a grade
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. can — a tin
  6. land — ground
  7. board — to get on
  8. can — a tin
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pop — music
  15. land — to come down
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. land — a country
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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