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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bat — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. current — happening now
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. stock — shares
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. mug — a face
  18. board — a committee
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. board — to get on
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. game — a match
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stock — goods

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