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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. court — of a king
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — to come down
  5. board — a committee
  6. spell — magic
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — the underground
  9. court — of law
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pit — in a race
  12. spell — a short time
  13. land — a country
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tube — a container
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — ground
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spell — letters
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stock — shares

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