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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. land — a country
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. board — to get on
  8. foot — a measure
  9. club — a group
  10. stock — goods
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — to wash
  16. club — for dancing
  17. shower — rain
  18. land — ground
  19. club — for golf
  20. board — a committee
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. foot — the bottom

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