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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 120 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stock — shares
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — in sport
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kick — in football
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. scale — in music
  23. stock — goods
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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