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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. net — after costs
  5. stock — goods
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. row — to paddle
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cue — a hint
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cap — a hat
  20. drill — army training
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stock — shares
  23. fall — the season
  24. row — a line

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