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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — a country
  3. board — a committee
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. land — ground
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. land — to come down
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rash — a series
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — to get on
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. nail — for a hammer

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