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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. squash — the sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — in control
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. charge — electricity
  13. club — for golf
  14. board — to get on
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. club — for dancing
  17. charge — a price
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stock — goods
  20. face — part of the head
  21. sharp — clever
  22. face — to confront
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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