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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rest — what's left
  5. last — to go on
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. hand — help
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pop — music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pop — soda
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stock — goods
  16. fall — the season
  17. last — final
  18. hand — in cards
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stock — shares
  21. rest — a break
  22. last — finally
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. hand — part of the body

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