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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. pound — a weight
  3. capital — money
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. board — to get on
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. board — a committee
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cue — a signal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. season — in sport
  17. cue — for pool
  18. deal — to handle
  19. season — of the year
  20. mine — for digging
  21. capital — a city
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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