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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 124 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. net — for catching
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stock — goods
  6. bound — certain
  7. net — after costs
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — a path
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pit — in a race
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stock — shares
  23. pass — a permit
  24. track — a song

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