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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: bat · board · net · roll · leaves · rash · stock · cap

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rash — a series
  3. stock — shares
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. roll — a list
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. net — for catching
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. cap — a lid
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — after costs
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. roll — a cake
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bat — the animal
  23. board — to get on
  24. bat — in an idiom

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