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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — goods
  5. fall — to drop
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — to come down
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fall — the season
  10. dip — to sink
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — shares
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. land — a country
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rush — hurry
  24. land — ground

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