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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bore — to tire
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. scale — in music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. season — of the year
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitch — completely
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — in sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. board — a committee

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