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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. present — a gift
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. present — the time now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tear — from crying
  10. last — finally
  11. cell — a phone
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fall — the season
  14. sharp — clever
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — final
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. last — to go on
  20. tear — to rip
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stock — goods
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. present — there

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