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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stock — goods
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rash — hasty
  6. roll — a list
  7. fall — the season
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rash — a series
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stock — shares
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rash — on the skin

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