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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stock — shares
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fall — to drop
  5. march — the month
  6. fall — to drop
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rock — a stone
  14. field — farmland
  15. march — the month
  16. stock — goods
  17. rock — music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — help
  22. fall — the season
  23. march — music
  24. stand — for spectators

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