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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stock — goods
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cue — a signal
  8. season — in sport
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tube — a container
  14. board — to get on
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cue — for pool
  18. season — of the year
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. tube — the underground
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. stock — shares
  24. board — a committee

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