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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. net — for catching
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fine — all right
  9. board — to get on
  10. net — in sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. track — to keep track
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. track — a path
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. net — after costs
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. board — a committee
  22. track — a song
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. sharp — exactly

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