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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. band — a music group
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — of water
  16. band — a ring
  17. current — electric
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. craft — boats
  21. current — happening now
  22. hand — help
  23. mate — to breed
  24. hand — part of the body

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