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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. net — for catching
  5. stock — shares
  6. mate — a friend
  7. board — a committee
  8. mate — a partner
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. net — after costs
  18. season — in sport
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stock — goods
  22. dip — to sink
  23. field — farmland
  24. stock — a soup base

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