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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. board — a committee
  3. craft — boats
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — ground
  6. board — to get on
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ground — the earth
  11. land — to come down
  12. ground — crushed
  13. last — to go on
  14. rush — hurry
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — a country
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. date — the fruit
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. craft — a skill
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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