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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stock — shares
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kid — child
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stock — goods
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stem — to come from
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ball — a round shape

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