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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rush — hurry
  5. shower — rain
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stock — shares
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pop — to visit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. game — a match

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