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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. craft — boats
  3. spring — a coil
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — government
  8. craft — a skill
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. object — to protest
  11. rule — a law
  12. object — a thing
  13. board — a committee
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spring — the season
  17. game — a match
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. object — an aim
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spring — of water
  24. sharp — clever

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