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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. bear — the animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. leaves — to go away

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