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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fall — the season
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. board — to get on
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mug — to rob
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. stock — goods
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — shares
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mug — a face

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