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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rule — a law
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wound — an injury
  10. band — a music group
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. band — a ring
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rule — government
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. can — a tin
  24. wake — before a funeral

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