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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — a cup
  3. net — after costs
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. board — a committee
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — of water
  14. net — in sport
  15. current — electric
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. board — to get on
  20. current — happening now
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. craft — boats

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