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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. root — the cause
  3. season — of the year
  4. root — of a word
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — goods
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mug — a face
  13. rush — hurry
  14. season — in sport
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. board — a committee
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — to rob
  22. board — to get on
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pass — a permit

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