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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mug — to rob
  5. board — a committee
  6. prune — to trim
  7. craft — boats
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. net — after costs
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. net — in sport
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. board — to get on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. net — for catching
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — a face
  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