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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cold — an illness
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stock — shares
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. board — a committee
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stock — goods
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — to get on
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cold — not warm
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. stock — a soup base

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