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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — goods
  3. row — a line
  4. ground — the earth
  5. roll — a cake
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. kid — child
  17. ground — a position
  18. fall — the season
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stock — shares

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