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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. stock — shares
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rash — a series
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — goods
  24. wind — moving air

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