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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stock — shares
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rule — a law
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stock — goods
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rule — government
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fork — to eat with

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