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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fall — the season
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — after costs
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bound — obliged
  11. net — for catching
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. ball — a dance
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. degree — from a university
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bound — tied together
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — in sport

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