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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wax — to grow
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. staff — employees
  6. present — a gift
  7. board — a committee
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. swing — to play on
  13. present — the time now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. staff — a stick
  19. deal — to handle
  20. swing — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. present — there
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. date — the fruit

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