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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. last — final
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — shares
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — goods
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. toast — bread
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. shower — rain
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. shower — to wash

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