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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stock — shares
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stock — goods
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cold — not warm
  13. season — in sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stand — to bear
  21. season — of the year
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hand — part of the body

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