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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fine — all right
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. net — in sport
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fine — high quality
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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