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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. field — for sport
  3. rest — a break
  4. squash — to crush
  5. board — a committee
  6. stock — goods
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. field — a subject
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bass — low music
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — farmland
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — government

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