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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. last — finally
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rush — hurry
  15. key — the most important part
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. staff — employees
  20. board — to get on
  21. net — after costs
  22. mine — for digging
  23. last — final
  24. board — a committee

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