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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. firm — steady
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. board — a committee
  8. drill — army training
  9. board — to get on
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. firm — a company
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. drill — a practice
  17. firm — decided
  18. stock — goods

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