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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. board — a committee
  4. stock — goods
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. kid — child
  7. cell — in biology
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kid — to tease
  16. board — to get on
  17. file — a document
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. file — a line of people

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