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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stock — goods
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rest — a break
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cold — not warm
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. track — a path
  12. charge — electricity
  13. dip — to sink
  14. charge — a price
  15. kick — in football
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — shares
  18. track — a song
  19. firm — steady
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. firm — a company
  22. charge — in control
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kick — with a leg

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