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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. board — a committee
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stock — shares
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bass — the fish
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bass — low music
  19. stock — goods
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rest — what's left
  24. coach — a trainer

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