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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. staff — a stick
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stock — shares
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. stand — to bear
  10. band — a ring
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — clothes
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a music group
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — an illness

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