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

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. board — a committee
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — an injury
  7. land — to come down
  8. foot — a measure
  9. land — a country
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — shares
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. stock — goods
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — music
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. land — ground
  24. foot — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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