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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. last — finally
  4. stock — shares
  5. last — to go on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. root — the cause
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fall — the season
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. root — of a word
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. fine — high quality
  18. last — final
  19. stock — goods
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — all right
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — a loud noise

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