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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — final
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. land — to come down
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. root — of a word
  10. last — finally
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wake — a trail
  15. root — the cause
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. land — a country
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. land — ground
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pit — in a race

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