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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. club — for golf
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. stock — goods
  7. club — for dancing
  8. net — after costs
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spell — letters
  14. net — for catching
  15. wound — an injury
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stock — shares
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. spell — magic
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — an injury
  23. craft — boats
  24. spell — a short time

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