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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 124 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fall — the season
  8. rush — hurry
  9. stock — goods
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wake — a trail
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — ground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rush — a thrill

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