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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. board — to get on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. board — a committee
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stock — goods
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rash — a series

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