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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stock — shares
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stock — goods
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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