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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — rain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. present — there
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. staff — employees
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mate — a partner
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. present — a gift
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. staff — a stick
  22. lie — to recline
  23. present — the time now
  24. lie — an untruth

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