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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: row · wound · foot · pit · stock · mine · bowl · board

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stock — shares
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. board — a committee
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pit — in a race
  16. row — a line
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — goods
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. board — to get on
  24. row — to paddle

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