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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stock — shares
  3. firm — steady
  4. spell — magic
  5. bank — for money
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. board — a committee
  8. stock — goods
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bank — for money
  13. firm — decided
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — letters
  16. board — to get on
  17. mark — a grade
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bank — of a river
  21. firm — a company
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cold — not warm

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