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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. race — a contest
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — shares
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. land — a country
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rash — a series
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. race — the arms race
  15. board — to get on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. land — ground
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — humankind
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bark — of a tree

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