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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. board — a committee
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — magic
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. charge — a price
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. craft — boats
  10. board — to get on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. roll — a cake
  13. spell — letters
  14. craft — a skill
  15. roll — a list
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. charge — in control
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitcher — a jug

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