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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. pop — soda
  4. stock — shares
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. firm — decided
  10. ground — a position
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. capital — money
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ground — the earth
  18. capital — a city
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. firm — steady
  22. stock — goods
  23. firm — a company
  24. pop — 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