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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. stock — goods
  5. can — a tin
  6. rule — a law
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. can — a tin
  13. rule — government
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rule — to rule out

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