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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. race — a contest
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. root — the cause
  9. cell — in biology
  10. can — a tin
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. race — humankind
  13. stock — goods
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — a phone
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stock — shares
  18. game — a match
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. root — of a word
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. game — wild animals

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