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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lean — to bend
  3. present — there
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rash — a series
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. present — a gift
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. present — the time now
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lean — thin
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — all right
  21. stock — shares
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wound — an injury
  24. toast — bread

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