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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stock — goods
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fall — to drop
  9. row — a line
  10. stock — shares
  11. pop — music
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mate — a friend
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pop — soda
  24. track — a song

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