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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. board — a committee
  5. bore — to tire
  6. board — to get on
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rule — a law
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rule — government
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — in a road
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stock — goods
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stock — shares
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rule — to rule out

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