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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — goods
  6. shower — rain
  7. can — to be able to
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pop — music
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stock — shares
  13. ground — a position
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. can — a tin
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pop — soda
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. stock — a soup base

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