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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. march — the month
  3. track — a song
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mug — a cup
  8. march — music
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mug — to rob
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. shower — rain
  18. cap — a lid
  19. track — a path
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stock — goods
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mug — a face

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