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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — goods
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. shower — rain
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rash — a series
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rash — hasty
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. leaves — to go away

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