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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — a country
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. land — ground
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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