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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: stand · pitcher · content · craft · season · board · swing · net

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — of the year
  3. stand — to bear
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — boats
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. content — the amount
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. swing — music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — for catching
  18. board — to get on
  19. season — in sport
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. board — a committee

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