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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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 — to get on
  2. stock — shares
  3. spring — the season
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — a coil
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — in sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bound — obliged
  11. board — a committee
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. press — to push
  15. net — for catching
  16. bound — tied together
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — after costs
  20. press — a publisher
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — of water
  23. bound — certain
  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