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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. present — there
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. board — to get on
  15. present — a gift
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stock — goods
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. present — the time now
  23. board — a committee
  24. bass — low music

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