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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. perch — the fish
  3. firm — steady
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rash — a series
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stock — shares
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — goods
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. shower — rain
  20. rock — music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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