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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 120 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fall — the season
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cold — not warm
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fall — to drop
  14. board — a committee
  15. suit — clothes
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. board — to get on
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stock — goods
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. scale — in music

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