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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cue — a hint
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. board — to get on
  8. bank — for money
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cue — a signal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bank — of a river
  18. board — a flat piece

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