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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. root — of a word
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. net — after costs
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. root — the cause
  11. band — a ring
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. board — to get on
  19. band — a music group
  20. root — of a plant
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. board — a committee
  23. bound — tied together
  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