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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. board — a committee
  3. craft — boats
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. shower — to wash
  9. craft — a skill
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. board — to get on
  17. shower — rain
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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