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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. press — to push
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. firm — decided
  7. fall — the season
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. fall — to drop

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