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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fall — the season
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to click
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bass — low music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rush — hurry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stock — shares
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. land — to come down

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