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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — to recline
  12. stock — goods
  13. fall — the season
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — bread
  17. chest — a box
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. march — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chest — of your body
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your 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