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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stock — goods
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rock — music
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kid — child
  20. foot — a measure
  21. kid — to tease
  22. staff — employees
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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