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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lie — to recline
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. foot — a measure
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mug — a face
  15. cell — in biology
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. cold — not warm

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