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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stock — goods
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — shares
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. present — the time now
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. present — there
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chest — a box
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. present — a gift
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stock — a soup base

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