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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spring — of water
  3. roll — a cake
  4. spring — the season
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cap — a hat
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stock — shares
  11. wind — moving air
  12. roll — a list
  13. wind — moving air
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cap — a lid
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cap — of ice
  18. craft — boats
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. spring — a coil
  21. board — to get on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. craft — a skill
  24. board — a committee

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