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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. content — the amount
  8. fall — the season
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pound — a weight
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. suit — to fit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. content — happy

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