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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. stock — shares
  6. face — part of the head
  7. land — a country
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. land — to come down
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. land — ground
  12. face — to confront
  13. race — humankind
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. race — a contest
  17. stock — goods
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. race — the arms race
  20. season — in sport
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. face — to point toward
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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