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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: pit · shower · chip · board · jam · stock · ground · face

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — rain
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stock — shares
  9. pit — a hole
  10. shower — to wash
  11. face — to point toward
  12. board — a committee
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chip — to eat
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. pit — in a race
  21. board — to get on
  22. ground — the earth
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — a position

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