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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — to come from
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rash — a series
  7. stock — shares
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — a committee
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. board — to get on
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — hurry
  19. kid — child
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mark — a trace
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rash — on the skin

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