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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. net — in sport
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. net — for catching
  11. season — in sport
  12. rule — government
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — after costs
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rule — a law

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