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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. craft — a skill
  5. net — in sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mate — a friend
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. scale — size or range
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. board — a committee
  15. rash — a series
  16. ground — the earth
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. ground — a position
  19. rash — hasty
  20. scale — in music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. scale — for weighing

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