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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. board — a committee
  3. net — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. board — to get on
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. march — music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. net — after costs
  16. craft — boats
  17. march — the month
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wound — an injury
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. racket — a loud noise

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