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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stock — shares
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fall — to drop
  7. staff — employees
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. plane — a tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. fall — the season
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — for sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. staff — a stick

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