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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. season — in sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. pit — a hole
  9. season — of the year
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fall — the season
  12. can — a tin
  13. cue — for pool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bank — for money
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fall — to drop

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