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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rule — government
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rule — a law
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. object — a thing
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ground — a position
  11. bound — certain
  12. object — an aim
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fall — the season
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. object — to protest
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stock — goods
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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