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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stock — shares
  4. rash — a series
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stock — goods
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. board — to get on
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — in a road
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. board — a committee
  22. rash — hasty
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wound — an injury

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