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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. roll — a list
  7. scale — in music
  8. stock — goods
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bound — certain
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — size or range
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fall — to drop
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — belonging to me

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