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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stock — goods
  8. rule — a law
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a music group
  17. stock — shares
  18. rule — government
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mug — a face
  24. fork — in a road

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