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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. fall — to drop
  2. present — a gift
  3. fall — to drop
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fall — the season
  6. present — the time now
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — in sport
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. present — there
  15. field — for sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. march — the month
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. field — farmland
  23. stock — a soup base
  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