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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: bowl · dip · arm · board · stock · press · land · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. press — to push
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. board — a committee
  10. stock — shares
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. land — ground
  14. board — to get on
  15. dip — to sink
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. land — to come down
  19. stock — goods
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. game — a match
  24. land — a country

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