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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. swing — music
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. firm — steady
  12. club — for golf
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — a practice
  15. club — a group
  16. firm — a company
  17. cold — not warm
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bound — certain
  21. craft — a skill
  22. firm — decided
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cold — an illness

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