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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. field — farmland
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stock — goods
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stock — shares
  19. cap — of ice
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. field — a subject
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. board — to get on
  24. cap — a hat

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