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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. track — to keep track
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fall — the season
  7. track — a song
  8. fall — to drop
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — a path
  14. lie — to recline
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. scale — in music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  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