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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. firm — decided
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. firm — steady
  6. stock — shares
  7. charge — electricity
  8. stock — goods
  9. ground — crushed
  10. charge — a price
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — a position
  15. firm — a company
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hand — help
  21. charge — in control
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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