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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stock — goods
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rash — a series
  9. cap — of ice
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stock — shares
  12. board — to get on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pass — a permit
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mine — for digging
  20. branch — a division
  21. cap — a hat
  22. board — a committee
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — belonging to me

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