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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. march — music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. can — a tin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. can — a tin
  14. rule — government
  15. game — wild animals
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. game — a match
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stock — goods
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stock — shares

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