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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. present — a gift
  5. land — a country
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chest — a box
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. present — there
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stock — goods
  15. land — to come down
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wake — a trail
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — the time now
  23. land — ground
  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