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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — shares
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cell — in biology
  5. club — for dancing
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. dip — to sink
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cell — a phone
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — help
  20. snap — to click
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. stock — goods

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