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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stock — goods
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cold — not warm
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cell — a phone
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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