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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. shower — rain
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — goods
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. last — final
  10. rule — a law
  11. last — to go on
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fall — the season
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. rule — government
  17. stock — shares
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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