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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 124 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. board — to get on
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — a committee
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stock — goods
  8. rash — hasty
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. face — to point toward
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rash — a series
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. face — part of the head
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. face — to confront
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — a division
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stock — shares
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. board — a flat piece

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