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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rule — government
  14. fine — all right
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rule — a law

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