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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — for sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. row — to paddle
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stock — shares
  10. land — to come down
  11. fine — all right
  12. field — a subject
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stock — goods
  15. land — ground
  16. board — a committee
  17. craft — boats
  18. board — to get on
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. tear — from crying
  22. field — farmland
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. craft — a skill

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