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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. can — a tin
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. stock — goods
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rest — a break
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rest — what's left

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