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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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. fall — the season
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pound — a weight
  7. game — a match
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rash — a series
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. scale — in music
  15. stock — goods
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stock — shares
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. race — humankind
  23. fall — to drop
  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