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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. craft — boats
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stock — shares
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. craft — a skill
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stock — goods
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. kid — child
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bowl — to roll

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