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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · current · leaves · net · board · squash · sharp · chest

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chest — of your body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. net — for catching
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — electric
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. sharp — clever
  16. net — in sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. board — a committee
  19. current — happening now
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. squash — to crush
  23. current — of water
  24. board — to get on

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