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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. board — to get on
  3. cold — not warm
  4. board — a committee
  5. stand — to bear
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tube — a container
  9. cold — an illness
  10. tube — the underground
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. key — in music
  22. stock — goods
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hide — to keep secret

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