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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pop — music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. board — a committee
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cold — an illness
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stock — shares
  18. pop — soda
  19. board — to get on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cold — not warm
  24. racket — for tennis

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