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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. net — after costs
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. craft — a skill
  8. board — to get on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. craft — boats
  11. bank — of a river
  12. perch — the fish
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. net — in sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. board — a committee
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. drill — army training
  24. net — for catching

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