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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stock — goods
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. game — a match
  10. track — a song
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. snap — to click
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stem — to come from
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. track — a path
  18. last — final
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stock — shares
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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