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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. pop — music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pop — to visit
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rule — government
  17. pop — soda
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lean — thin
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. rule — a law
  24. hide — to keep secret

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