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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stock — goods
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rule — government
  7. stand — to bear
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rule — a law
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pound — a weight
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. stock — shares
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — finally
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. last — final

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