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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. last — finally
  7. board — a committee
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rash — hasty
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — final
  13. cold — not warm
  14. prune — to trim
  15. board — to get on
  16. last — to go on
  17. stock — goods
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stock — shares
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rash — a series

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