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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spell — a short time
  3. board — to get on
  4. net — for catching
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. board — a committee
  8. spell — magic
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rash — hasty
  13. net — after costs
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stock — shares
  19. net — in sport
  20. spell — letters
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rash — a series
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ground — crushed

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