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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stock — shares
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — music
  18. snap — to click
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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