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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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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — to come from
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — happy
  13. rule — government
  14. court — of law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. court — for sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. court — of a king
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. board — a flat piece

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