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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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. present — there
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — goods
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stock — shares
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. present — the time now
  13. hand — help
  14. deal — to handle
  15. present — a gift
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. 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