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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. board — to get on
  3. toast — bread
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. row — a line
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stock — goods
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — shares
  12. board — a committee
  13. row — to paddle
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. prune — to trim
  17. roll — a list
  18. prune — to trim
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. roll — a cake
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — a soup base

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