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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: toast · leaves · board · foot · game · stock · calf · bat

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. foot — a measure
  3. board — to get on
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stock — shares
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. toast — bread
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bat — the animal
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. game — a match
  24. bat — for baseball

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