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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. land — to come down
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mate — a partner
  17. land — a country
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a friend
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hand — help
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pass — to spend time

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