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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. present — the time now
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. board — to get on
  5. sharp — clever
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. present — a gift
  10. board — a committee
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — of a plant
  14. net — after costs
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a dance
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. present — there

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