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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — a song
  4. wake — a trail
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — a lid
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stock — shares
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. stock — goods
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cap — of ice
  19. track — a path
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cabinet — ministers

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