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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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rule — a law
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. board — a committee
  8. firm — steady
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ball — a great time
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. firm — decided
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fork — in a road
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. firm — a company

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