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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. court — for sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. net — in sport
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ground — the earth
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. court — of law
  12. net — for catching
  13. firm — a company
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. firm — decided
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. firm — steady
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — after costs
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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