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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stock — shares
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lean — thin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — a face
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rest — a break
  17. ground — a position
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stock — goods
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mug — a cup

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