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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pound — a weight
  3. court — for sport
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. court — of a king
  15. stock — shares
  16. shower — rain
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. court — of law
  24. rock — to move gently

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