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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. present — there
  4. net — in sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. degree — an amount
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — temperature
  12. craft — boats
  13. pitch — completely
  14. present — the time now
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pass — a permit
  19. net — after costs
  20. degree — from a university
  21. board — to get on
  22. net — for catching
  23. mine — for digging
  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