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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — for sport
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stock — shares
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. deal — to handle
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. court — of law
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cap — a hat
  19. court — of a king
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stock — goods

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