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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — all right
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. shower — rain
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pitch — a sports field
  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