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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rule — government
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pit — in a race
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. kid — to tease
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stock — shares
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stock — goods
  24. pit — a hole

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