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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. root — the cause
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fine — high quality
  7. root — of a word
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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