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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cold — not warm
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ground — a position
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ground — the earth
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stock — shares
  21. rash — a series
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. ground — crushed
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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