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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a list
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stock — shares
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. board — to get on
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. snap — to click
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fork — in a road
  20. roll — a cake
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stock — goods
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. tear — from crying

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