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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. stock — shares
  3. wind — moving air
  4. season — in sport
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stock — goods
  12. stem — to come from
  13. season — of the year
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cue — a signal
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  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