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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stock — shares
  3. kid — child
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stock — goods
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mate — a partner
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bass — low music
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kid — to tease
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kick — in football

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