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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stock — goods
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. hand — in cards
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. shower — rain
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cue — for pool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — shares
  22. hand — help
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. shower — to wash

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