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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 116 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: game · rash · face · stock · pound · content · swing · board

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. swing — in golf
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stock — shares
  7. board — a committee
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. face — part of the head
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. face — to confront
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. game — a match
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stock — goods
  20. face — to point toward
  21. swing — music
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. board — to get on

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