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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — in sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — of the year
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stock — shares
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. scale — size or range
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. rash — a series
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stock — goods
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. scale — in music
  24. board — a flat piece

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