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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — in cards
  10. ground — a position
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fall — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. hand — help
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. court — of a king
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. court — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. court — of law
  23. wind — moving air
  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