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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: track · stock · date · lean · hand · mine · board · racket

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. date — on the calendar
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. board — to get on
  6. lean — thin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — help
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — a song
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. date — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stock — goods
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. track — a path
  23. lean — to bend
  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