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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 · last · court · wind · pitcher · stock · plane · saw

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. last — finally
  3. stock — shares
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — final
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — of a king
  9. saw — the tool
  10. court — of law
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. court — for sport
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — to get on
  24. stock — goods

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