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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. content — happy
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rule — government
  10. board — to get on
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. board — a committee
  13. stock — shares
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rule — a law
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — goods
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. nail — on a finger

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