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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stock — goods
  4. bank — of a river
  5. sharp — clever
  6. board — a committee
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. row — a line
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. mine — for digging
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. season — in sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stock — shares
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ball — a dance
  21. season — of the year
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ball — a round shape

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