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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stock — shares
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cue — a hint
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rule — a law
  18. cold — an illness
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rule — government
  22. stock — goods
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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