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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 124 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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. board — to get on
  3. stock — goods
  4. chest — a box
  5. date — the fruit
  6. capital — a city
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. capital — money
  9. wake — a trail
  10. row — a line
  11. stock — shares
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. board — a committee
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. row — to paddle
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chest — of your body

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