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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rock — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. season — in sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stock — shares
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. season — of the year
  22. stock — goods
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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