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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stock — goods
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. court — for sport
  8. track — a path
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a song
  11. court — of law
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wake — a trail
  21. court — of a king
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — shares
  24. bulb — of a plant

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