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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · bear · game · cabinet · rule · mug · pitcher · shower

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rule — government
  3. game — a match
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. shower — rain
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. shower — to wash
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stock — shares
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mug — a face
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stock — goods
  20. mug — a cup
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rule — a law
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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