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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stock — goods
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. can — a tin
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. present — there
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bear — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. present — the time now
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. present — a gift
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rule — government

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