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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 124 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. charge — a price
  3. board — to get on
  4. branch — a division
  5. suit — in cards
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. net — after costs
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fork — in a road
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cold — not warm
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. charge — in control
  24. branch — 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