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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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