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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. capital — a city
  6. season — in sport
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. craft — boats
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. capital — money
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stock — goods
  18. mate — a friend
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stock — shares
  24. mate — a partner

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