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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stock — shares
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bore — to drill
  9. game — a match
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. scale — in music
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. game — wild animals
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fall — the season
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stock — goods
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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