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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. craft — boats
  3. mine — for digging
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. rule — government
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pop — music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — a law

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