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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. suit — clothes
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fall — the season
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stock — goods
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. march — music
  14. stock — shares
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. march — the month
  20. cell — in biology
  21. suit — to fit
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — belonging to me

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