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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 120 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. board — a committee
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. net — in sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — to come down
  13. net — after costs
  14. land — ground
  15. bass — the fish
  16. perch — the fish
  17. board — to get on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. land — a country
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — the season

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