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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spell — magic
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rock — music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — a short time
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rock — a stone
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spell — letters
  17. snap — to click
  18. board — to get on
  19. lie — to recline
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stock — goods
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kid — child

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