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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mug — a face
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. board — to get on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. board — a committee
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. net — for catching
  20. mug — a cup
  21. craft — boats
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. net — after costs
  24. ground — crushed

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