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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. land — to come down
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stock — goods
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chest — a box
  13. land — ground
  14. dip — to sink
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chest — of your body
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fine — all right
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. land — a country
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — shares

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