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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: club · board · ruler · row · last · cap · net · wake

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. net — after costs
  5. cap — a hat
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cap — a lid
  8. board — to get on
  9. club — for golf
  10. board — a committee
  11. row — to paddle
  12. last — to go on
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cap — of ice
  16. net — in sport
  17. club — for dancing
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. club — a group
  20. row — a line
  21. net — for catching
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. last — final
  24. wake — a trail

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