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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — of the year
  4. net — in sport
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. season — in sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. club — for golf
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. deal — to handle
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. saw — the tool
  18. club — a group
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. net — for catching
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. net — after costs
  24. board — to get on

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