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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — the fish
  10. craft — boats
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. board — to get on
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. rest — a break
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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