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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. shower — rain
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rule — a law
  17. season — in sport
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. season — of the year
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. roll — a list
  24. season — to add flavour

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