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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rash — a series
  4. march — music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fall — to drop
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fall — the season
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — a weight
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stock — goods
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stock — a soup base

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