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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pit — in a race
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spell — magic
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rock — music
  13. stock — goods
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rock — a stone
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fall — the season
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. spell — letters
  20. stock — shares
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fall — to drop

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