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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fine — all right
  3. spell — magic
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — to get on
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. net — after costs
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — high quality
  19. spell — letters
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. board — a committee
  24. bore — to drill

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