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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rash — hasty
  4. net — in sport
  5. board — a committee
  6. net — after costs
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rash — a series
  11. mug — a cup
  12. suit — to fit
  13. capital — a city
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — for catching
  17. sharp — clever
  18. suit — in cards
  19. stock — goods
  20. board — to get on
  21. mug — to rob
  22. capital — money
  23. mug — a face
  24. stock — a soup base

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