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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — in sport
  4. hand — help
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. season — of the year
  11. stock — shares
  12. mug — a face
  13. game — wild animals
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lie — to recline
  20. hand — in cards
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — a match
  23. stock — goods
  24. season — to add flavour

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