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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. board — a committee
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. spell — magic
  9. suit — in cards
  10. spell — letters
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — to get on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — goods
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. suit — to fit
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wind — to turn a key

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