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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stock — shares
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stock — goods
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mug — a face
  21. pass — a permit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lie — an untruth

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