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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. craft — boats
  3. pit — a hole
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wake — a trail
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. can — a tin
  15. game — wild animals
  16. board — to get on
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. can — to be able to
  20. game — a match
  21. craft — a skill
  22. land — a country
  23. last — finally
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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