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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. can — a tin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spring — the season
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — to wash
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — of water
  18. shower — rain
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. wind — to turn a key

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