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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — goods
  7. fall — the season
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — a match
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. shower — to wash
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — wild animals
  18. row — a line

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