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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. march — music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. board — a committee
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — from a university
  8. file — a tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mug — to rob
  12. march — the month
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stock — goods
  18. degree — an amount
  19. march — the month
  20. fork — in a road
  21. file — a document
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mug — a face
  24. fork — to eat with

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