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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. land — ground
  9. rush — hurry
  10. land — to come down
  11. bank — for money
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. file — a document
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stock — goods
  17. file — a tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stock — shares
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fall — the season
  22. bass — low music
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — a country

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