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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cap — a hat
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. board — to get on
  8. craft — boats
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — in sport
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cap — of ice
  17. craft — a skill
  18. net — for catching
  19. tear — to rip
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. net — after costs
  24. wax — in the ear

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