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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 the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. land — a country
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. field — for sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. board — a committee
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. land — to come down
  15. stock — goods
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — a list
  18. charge — electricity
  19. roll — a cake
  20. degree — from a university
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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