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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. clip — a video
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fall — the season
  9. stand — to bear
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stock — shares
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stock — goods
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. tube — a container
  21. mate — to breed
  22. last — finally
  23. mate — a partner
  24. last — to go on

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