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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. deal — to handle
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lean — thin
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. board — to get on
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fine — all right
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stock — shares
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lean — to bend
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fine — high quality
  23. march — the month
  24. stock — goods

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