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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. last — to go on
  5. board — to get on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. last — final
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. board — a committee
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stock — goods
  19. last — finally
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. dip — to sink
  24. board — a flat piece

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