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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pit — a hole
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. stock — shares
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pit — in a race
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ball — a great time
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. last — to go on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stock — goods
  23. kid — child
  24. stock — a soup base

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