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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. can — a tin
  3. cold — not warm
  4. charge — a price
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. perch — the fish
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. can — a tin
  10. charge — in control
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cold — an illness
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rule — government
  15. stock — goods
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. can — to be able to
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. stock — shares
  24. rule — a law

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