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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 124 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 · scale · jam · hide · game · march · net · board

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. board — a committee
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. net — in sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. march — the month
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. craft — a skill
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. jam — a tight spot

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