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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cap — a hat
  6. land — a country
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. land — ground
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cap — a lid
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. land — to come down
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — a thrill

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