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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stock — shares
  5. race — a contest
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. season — in sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bat — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — of the year
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stock — goods
  18. board — to get on
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. degree — temperature
  21. race — humankind
  22. board — a committee
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. board — a flat piece

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