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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ground — a position
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fall — the season
  5. object — an aim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stock — shares
  9. chip — for betting
  10. object — to protest
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chip — to eat
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ball — a dance
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — goods
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. object — a thing

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