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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. board — a committee
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rule — government
  8. stock — goods
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. season — in sport
  12. board — to get on
  13. stock — shares
  14. branch — a division
  15. rule — a law
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tube — a container
  19. face — part of the head
  20. season — of the year
  21. face — to confront
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. face — to point toward
  24. march — the month

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