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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. march — the month
  3. land — a country
  4. board — a committee
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. saw — the tool
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stock — goods
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. suit — in cards
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — shares
  15. land — ground
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. suit — to fit
  23. saw — the tool
  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