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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — letters
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fall — the season
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — help
  16. pit — in a race
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stock — goods
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. spell — magic
  24. sharp — exactly

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