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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pop — music
  3. ground — a position
  4. stock — shares
  5. board — a committee
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ground — crushed
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pop — soda
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. ground — the earth
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stock — goods

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