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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rock — a stone
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. board — a committee
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — goods
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stock — shares
  15. board — to get on
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. cap — a hat
  19. scale — in music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rash — a series

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