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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. net — after costs
  3. board — a committee
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. board — to get on
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fork — in a road
  19. spring — the season
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fall — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fork — to eat with

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