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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — certain
  5. ball — a dance
  6. object — an aim
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. object — to protest
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stock — goods
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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