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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. hand — help
  2. fine — high quality
  3. roll — a list
  4. ground — a position
  5. deal — to handle
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fall — the season
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stock — shares
  15. fine — all right
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. ground — crushed
  21. roll — a cake
  22. staff — employees
  23. deal — a big deal
  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