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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. club — a group
  7. board — a committee
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. land — ground
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. board — to get on
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bore — to tire
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. season — of the year
  22. face — to confront
  23. club — for golf
  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