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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — army training
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. kick — in football
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mug — a face
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. drill — the tool
  13. game — a match
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. mug — a cup
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cap — a lid
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stock — goods

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