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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. land — to come down
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stock — goods
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. land — ground
  13. stock — shares
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. ball — a great time
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. land — a country
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bat — the animal
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fork — in a road
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ball — a round shape

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