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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. suit — clothes
  7. ground — a position
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ground — crushed
  10. net — after costs
  11. suit — to fit
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. suit — in cards
  18. net — for catching
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stock — goods
  21. branch — a division
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. ground — the earth
  24. net — in sport

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