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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. game — wild animals
  3. suit — in cards
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. row — to paddle
  7. board — to get on
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. suit — to fit
  10. board — a committee
  11. stock — shares
  12. row — a line
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. stock — goods
  15. game — a match
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. suit — clothes
  18. season — of the year
  19. firm — decided
  20. season — in sport
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. firm — steady
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — a kind of play

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