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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a committee
  8. march — music
  9. present — there
  10. march — the month
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stock — shares
  14. board — to get on
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rest — a break
  18. present — the time now
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stock — goods
  21. march — the month
  22. present — a gift
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stock — a soup base

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