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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — shares
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. present — the time now
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. cold — an illness
  17. present — a gift
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. file — a tool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. stock — goods
  24. mouse — the animal

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