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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. last — final
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. board — a committee
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rest — a break
  12. craft — boats
  13. bound — certain
  14. last — to go on
  15. board — to get on
  16. bound — obliged
  17. field — a subject
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — finally
  24. bound — tied together

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