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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 116 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. snap — to click
  4. track — a song
  5. stock — shares
  6. fall — the season
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fall — to drop
  9. race — humankind
  10. stock — goods
  11. tear — to rip
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. race — a contest
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — music
  24. race — the arms race

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