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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. board — to get on
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — for catching
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — to go on
  8. land — ground
  9. board — a committee
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. scale — size or range
  13. craft — a skill
  14. net — in sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. last — final
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — a country
  21. net — after costs
  22. craft — boats
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. last — finally

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