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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — to get on
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — for sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hand — help
  7. staff — employees
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. board — a committee
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. field — a subject
  12. race — humankind
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fine — all right
  15. race — a contest
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stock — goods
  19. field — farmland
  20. stock — shares
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fine — high quality

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