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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. net — for catching
  3. rash — hasty
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — a series
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. net — after costs
  8. staff — employees
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rule — government
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. snap — to click
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stock — shares

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