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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. board — to get on
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. board — a committee
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — after costs
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. court — of law
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rash — hasty
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rash — a series
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stock — goods
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. land — a country
  20. net — for catching
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stock — shares
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. land — ground

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