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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spring — the season
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fine — high quality
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. shower — rain
  11. present — a gift
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stock — goods
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — a trail
  20. row — a line
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fine — all right
  24. spring — a coil

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