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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — the underground
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stock — goods
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lie — to recline
  19. swing — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stock — shares
  22. mate — to breed
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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