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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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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 · craft · stick · lie · kick · wake · pitch · board

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. net — for catching
  3. board — to get on
  4. craft — a skill
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitch — completely
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kick — in football
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. board — a committee
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — a trail
  24. craft — boats

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