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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pit — in a race
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — soda
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fall — the season
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pop — music
  18. spell — letters
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stock — shares
  23. pit — a hole
  24. tear — from crying

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