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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: stock · pound · tube · arm · ball · last · face · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. tube — a container
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. last — final
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ball — a great time
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stock — shares
  14. pound — a weight
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. last — finally
  19. stock — goods
  20. face — to confront
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — to go on
  23. tube — the underground
  24. arm — part of the body

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