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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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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: board · cold · game · date · press · stock · rest · pop

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pop — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. board — a committee
  9. pop — soda
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rest — a break
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pop — to visit
  16. game — a match
  17. stock — shares
  18. press — to push
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. press — a publisher
  22. date — the fruit
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rest — what's left

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