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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. march — the month
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. snap — to click
  12. rest — a break
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stock — shares
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. march — music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — goods
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cold — not warm

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