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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. march — the month
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rule — government
  6. season — in sport
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — of the year
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stock — shares
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — music
  16. rule — a law
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chest — a box
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stock — goods

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