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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. firm — decided
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — farmland
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hand — help
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — in cards
  13. field — a subject
  14. stock — shares
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fall — to drop
  17. firm — a company
  18. field — for sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stock — goods
  24. firm — steady

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