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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chest — a box
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. rule — a law
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rule — government
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stock — shares
  19. wake — a trail
  20. roll — a list
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pound — for dogs

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