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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mug — to rob
  4. capital — money
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. spell — letters
  10. rest — what's left
  11. capital — a city
  12. mug — a face
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spell — magic
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mug — a cup
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. hide — animal skin

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