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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mate — to breed
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. snap — to click
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mate — a partner
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stock — goods
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stock — shares
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. can — a tin

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