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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stock — goods
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. scale — in music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mark — a trace
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — a grade
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. season — in sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ball — a great time

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