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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. board — a committee
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. board — to get on
  11. wound — an injury
  12. clip — a video
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stock — goods
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stock — shares
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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