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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stock — shares
  5. spring — a coil
  6. board — to get on
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — a committee
  15. net — for catching
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — the season
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — rain

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