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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. staff — employees
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — a subject
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. field — farmland
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cell — in biology
  21. staff — a stick
  22. field — for sport
  23. fine — all right
  24. stock — a soup base

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