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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. file — a document
  4. stock — shares
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — goods
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. roll — a list
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. file — a tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lean — to bend
  24. hide — to keep secret

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