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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. club — for golf
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. file — a document
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stock — shares
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. file — a tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. press — to push
  16. present — there
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. club — a group
  19. present — the time now
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. board — to get on
  24. file — a line of people

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