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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 124 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stock — goods
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mine — for digging
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fine — all right
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stock — shares
  18. fine — high quality
  19. season — in sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. season — of the year
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stock — a soup base

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