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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. band — a music group
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stock — goods
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pop — to visit
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — shares
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — music
  24. date — the fruit

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