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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. wake — a trail
  4. board — a committee
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. board — to get on
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. toast — bread
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. net — in sport
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. rule — government
  21. field — farmland
  22. rule — a law
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bat — for baseball

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