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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stock — goods
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. shower — rain
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. tube — a container
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stock — shares

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