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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rule — a law
  3. board — a committee
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. board — to get on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rule — government
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. fork — in a road
  15. staff — employees
  16. land — to come down
  17. staff — employees
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. craft — boats

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