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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. race — a contest
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — ground
  9. stock — goods
  10. race — humankind
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. land — a country
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. land — to come down
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stock — shares
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — in biology

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