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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wax — to grow
  9. board — to get on
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. row — a line
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. bore — to drill
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bore — to tire
  24. plane — an aircraft

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