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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fall — the season
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. ground — a position
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. squash — the sport

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