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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. rash — a series
  5. stock — shares
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. last — to go on
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fine — all right
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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