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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. last — to go on
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. row — a line
  6. season — of the year
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. last — final
  9. board — to get on
  10. stock — goods
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — finally
  14. season — in sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stock — shares
  20. ball — a dance
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. row — to paddle
  24. tear — from crying

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