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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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. board — a committee
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bound — certain
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fine — all right
  9. stock — shares
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. craft — boats
  12. stock — goods
  13. board — to get on
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bound — tied together
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rest — a break

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