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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stock — goods
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bat — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stand — to bear
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fall — the season
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — in sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. shower — to wash

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