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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pitch — completely
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — goods
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stock — shares
  9. fine — all right
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. shower — rain
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. shower — to wash
  17. snap — to click
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pound — a weight

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