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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. board — to get on
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. board — a committee
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. net — for catching
  14. staff — employees
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — of the year
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — in sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — after costs
  24. coach — a trainer

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