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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. staff — a stick
  6. net — after costs
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pop — soda
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. field — farmland
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — to point toward
  14. staff — employees
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. board — a committee
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. net — for catching
  24. field — a subject

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