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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stock — goods
  6. can — to be able to
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of law
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. can — a tin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. court — for sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — shares
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pit — a hole
  21. court — of a king
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. can — a tin
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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