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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. board — a committee
  4. root — of a word
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. court — for sport
  7. stock — shares
  8. court — of law
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. root — the cause
  11. board — to get on
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stock — goods
  16. kick — in football
  17. dip — to sink
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. court — of a king
  24. pound — a weight

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