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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mug — a face
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — a tin
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mug — to rob
  13. chip — for betting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. mug — a cup
  17. board — a committee
  18. can — to be able to
  19. craft — a skill
  20. march — music
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — boats
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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