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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stock — shares
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mug — a face
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — goods
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cell — a phone
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mug — to rob
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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