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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. stock — goods
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bank — for money
  15. spell — magic
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rock — music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stock — shares
  23. spell — letters
  24. bank — for money

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