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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: net · club · bay · present · branch · roll · board · game

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. net — for catching
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — after costs
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — in sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. roll — a list
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. roll — a cake
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. club — a group
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. branch — a division
  23. game — a match
  24. club — for dancing

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