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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pit — in a race
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. board — a committee
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stock — goods
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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