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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. craft — a skill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bark — to shout
  9. hand — in cards
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. board — to get on
  14. net — after costs
  15. mug — a face
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. board — a committee
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. craft — boats
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bark — of a tree

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