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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. present — there
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. roll — a list
  6. board — a committee
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — for sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. roll — a cake
  19. field — farmland
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — a subject
  24. rest — a break

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