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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — shares
  3. ground — the earth
  4. season — of the year
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fall — the season
  8. season — in sport
  9. last — to go on
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. last — final
  14. present — the time now
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — there
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ground — a position
  20. present — a gift
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. last — finally

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