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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. file — a document
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a line of people
  7. board — a committee
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. row — a line
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. file — a tool
  20. board — to get on
  21. pitch — completely
  22. craft — boats
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — to paddle

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