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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pop — music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — the season
  7. scale — in music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pop — soda
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lie — to recline
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a line

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