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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — a committee
  4. net — in sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fine — all right
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. band — a music group
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fine — high quality
  17. band — a ring
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mark — a grade
  20. net — after costs
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. board — to get on
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cabinet — ministers

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