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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fine — high quality
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. board — to get on
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fine — all right
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stock — shares
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stock — goods
  21. net — for catching
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. board — a flat piece

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