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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. craft — a skill
  3. file — a line of people
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cell — in biology
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. board — to get on
  11. craft — boats
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. file — a tool
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pop — to visit
  20. board — a committee
  21. ground — a position
  22. file — a document
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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