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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cold — not warm
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stock — goods
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cold — an illness
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stock — shares
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mate — a friend

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