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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. stock — goods
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fall — the season
  13. ground — crushed
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ground — the earth
  17. roll — a list
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ground — a position
  24. tube — the underground

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