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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rest — a break
  3. stock — goods
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. staff — a stick
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stock — shares
  10. kid — child
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to click
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. season — in sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pass — a permit
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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