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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rule — government
  3. stock — shares
  4. snap — to click
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fall — the season
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — a law
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cell — a phone

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