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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. board — a committee
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. pit — a hole
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — shares
  17. cell — in biology
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. face — to point toward
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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