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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. stock — shares
  3. ground — a position
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — a line
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — wild animals
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stock — goods
  17. squash — the sport
  18. sharp — clever
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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