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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — magic
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spell — a short time
  8. craft — a skill
  9. net — in sport
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — after costs
  15. bore — to tire
  16. craft — boats
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. net — for catching
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spell — letters
  24. fall — the season

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