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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. toast — bread
  19. bass — low music
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — of the year
  23. board — a committee
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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