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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bank — for money
  3. firm — a company
  4. stock — goods
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. bank — of a river
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bank — for money
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. firm — decided
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. march — music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. march — the month
  23. firm — steady
  24. march — the month

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