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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. face — to point toward
  5. board — to get on
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. last — final
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. net — after costs
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cue — a hint
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. ball — a dance
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. face — to confront
  21. cue — for pool
  22. board — a committee
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cue — a signal

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