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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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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: bay · last · board · clip · stock · stand · mark · game

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. last — finally
  4. clip — a video
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stock — goods
  8. last — to go on
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. board — to get on
  12. last — final
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. board — a committee
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. game — a match
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. clip — for paper

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