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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. swing — to play on
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. toast — bread
  12. stock — shares
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. scale — size or range
  23. swing — music
  24. stock — goods

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