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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. season — in sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — boats
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. board — to get on
  7. object — to protest
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. land — ground
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. lean — thin
  12. object — an aim
  13. court — of a king
  14. board — a committee
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. season — of the year
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lean — to bend
  22. object — a thing
  23. court — of law
  24. land — a country

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