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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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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. ground — crushed
  5. board — a committee
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. charge — electricity
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stock — goods
  11. kid — to tease
  12. board — to get on
  13. charge — a price
  14. ground — a position
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — child
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rock — music
  21. charge — in control
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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