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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. squash — the sport
  3. staff — a stick
  4. band — a music group
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. staff — employees
  13. board — to get on
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. board — a committee
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. band — a ring
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stock — shares

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