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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stock — goods
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fall — the season
  5. shower — rain
  6. key — in music
  7. field — farmland
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. field — for sport
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fall — to drop
  13. field — a subject
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — shares
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stand — to bear
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rash — hasty
  24. key — for a lock

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