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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mark — a grade
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chair — a leader
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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