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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. field — a subject
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — employees
  11. board — a committee
  12. staff — employees
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. field — for sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. field — farmland
  19. rule — a law
  20. net — in sport
  21. craft — a skill
  22. season — in sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rule — government

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