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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. stock — goods
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spring — of water
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lean — thin
  22. ground — a position
  23. spring — the season
  24. wind — moving air

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