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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stock — shares
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. track — to keep track
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. squash — to crush
  10. track — a path
  11. stock — goods
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. board — to get on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitch — completely
  19. track — a song
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wax — to grow
  24. game — wild animals

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