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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fall — the season
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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