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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. band — a rubber band
  3. bulb — for light
  4. field — for sport
  5. content — the amount
  6. stand — to bear
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stock — shares
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stock — goods
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. content — happy
  17. board — a committee
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. field — a subject
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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