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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fine — all right
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fine — high quality
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stock — shares
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lean — to bend
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wake — a trail
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. lean — thin
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stock — goods

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