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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fall — to drop
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rash — a series
  6. shower — rain
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stock — goods
  10. club — for golf
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stock — shares
  13. shower — to wash
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fall — the season
  21. rash — hasty
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. club — a group
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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