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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bound — certain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bound — tied together
  12. staff — employees
  13. bound — obliged
  14. shower — rain
  15. stock — shares
  16. staff — a stick
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cap — a hat
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stock — goods
  24. mate — to breed

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