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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rule — government
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rule — a law
  6. squash — the sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ground — crushed
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ground — a position
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. file — a document
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — the earth

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