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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — for dancing
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — a match
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. board — a committee
  11. net — after costs
  12. drill — the tool
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — a practice
  15. club — for golf
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. drill — army training
  18. board — to get on
  19. capital — a city
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. net — in sport
  22. club — a group
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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