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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pound — a weight
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — a match
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spring — the season
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — of water
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rock — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stock — goods
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spring — a coil
  24. game — a kind of play

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