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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. board — to get on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — a grade
  9. board — a committee
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. present — the time now
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mark — a trace
  20. row — a line
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. present — a gift
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. present — there

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