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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — goods
  4. spring — of water
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — a coil
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. board — a committee
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stock — shares
  14. spring — the season
  15. vault — a safe
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. roll — a list
  22. bark — to shout
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pitch — completely

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