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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fall — the season
  6. kick — in football
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stock — goods
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stock — shares
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cold — not warm

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