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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: squash · content · board · stock · pit · pass · fan · face

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. content — happy
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. face — to confront
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pit — a hole
  11. content — the amount
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. face — to point toward
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stock — goods
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stock — a soup base

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