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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stock — shares
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — a lid
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. pit — a hole
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mark — a trace
  15. last — to go on
  16. stock — goods
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — moving air

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