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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rest — what's left
  6. capital — a city
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — in sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. craft — boats
  15. pitch — completely
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. capital — money
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. net — for catching
  22. rest — a break
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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