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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. season — of the year
  10. stock — goods
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. season — in sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stock — shares

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