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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. stock — goods
  6. object — to protest
  7. row — to paddle
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — a country
  10. saw — the tool
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — to come down
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. object — a thing
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rest — what's left
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rest — a break
  21. land — ground
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stock — shares
  24. object — an aim

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