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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. stock — shares
  5. ball — a dance
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. last — finally
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. ball — a great time
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stand — to bear
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spring — the season
  23. stock — goods
  24. leaves — to go away

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