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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. shower — rain
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — soda
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pop — music
  9. stock — shares
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stock — goods
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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