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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. last — finally
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. last — to go on
  10. ground — the earth
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. last — final
  13. bat — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stock — shares
  17. shower — rain
  18. fine — high quality
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stock — goods
  22. fine — all right
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ground — a position

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