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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stock — shares
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — of the year
  7. march — the month
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stock — goods
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. march — the month
  13. cold — an illness
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bound — obliged
  16. dip — to sink
  17. march — music
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. row — a line
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. season — in sport
  24. dip — a sauce

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