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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mate — a friend
  4. shower — rain
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. swing — music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stock — shares
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rock — music
  24. stock — goods

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