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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. row — to paddle
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stock — shares
  5. ground — a position
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fall — the season
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — a cake
  16. row — a line
  17. fall — to drop
  18. roll — on a roll

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