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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. season — of the year
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hand — help
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. season — in sport
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mug — a cup
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. hand — in cards
  24. leaves — of a tree

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