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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stock — goods
  4. root — the cause
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. root — of a word
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. root — of a plant
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bound — tied together
  20. board — to get on
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. board — a committee
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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