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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. cold — not warm
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stock — shares
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mark — a grade
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — a committee
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mine — for digging
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — to get on
  20. cold — an illness
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cold — the Cold War

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