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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. track — a path
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. toast — bread
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. degree — temperature
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stock — shares
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stock — goods
  22. board — to get on
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitcher — a jug

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