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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · pit · rest · track · spring · stock · ground · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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 committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. kid — child
  4. track — a song
  5. spring — of water
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. ground — a position
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rest — what's left
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. track — a path
  21. spring — the season
  22. stock — goods
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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