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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. board — a committee
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. tube — the underground
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. board — to get on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. tube — a container
  13. stock — goods
  14. fine — all right
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stock — shares
  24. nail — for a hammer

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