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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fall — the season
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rest — what's left
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. last — to go on
  15. stock — shares
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ball — a great time
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. last — final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. swing — music
  23. last — finally
  24. fall — to drop

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