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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lean — thin
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. season — of the year
  5. board — a committee
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. board — to get on
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rule — a law
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. prune — to trim
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rule — government
  19. stock — shares
  20. last — final
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. cabinet — ministers

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