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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. craft — boats
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rock — a stone
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. staff — employees
  7. row — to paddle
  8. craft — a skill
  9. row — a line
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. board — to get on
  14. staff — employees
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pound — a weight
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rock — music
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. board — a flat piece
  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