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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. bat — the animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. race — humankind
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. branch — a division
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. race — a contest
  22. fall — the season
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fall — to drop

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