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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — ground
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — a committee
  9. land — a country
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — to come down
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — to paddle
  24. board — to get on

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