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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. board — a committee
  3. track — a path
  4. season — of the year
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. net — for catching
  10. season — in sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pit — in a race
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. track — a song
  18. board — to get on
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kid — child
  24. net — after costs

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