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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. row — a line
  5. mate — a partner
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. board — a committee
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. field — for sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — a subject
  17. rash — a series
  18. board — to get on
  19. rash — hasty
  20. field — farmland
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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