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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — a hole
  5. can — a tin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. land — to come down
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stock — shares
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — ground
  22. pit — in a race
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — a country

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