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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stock — goods
  4. mark — a grade
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. ball — a dance
  15. scale — in music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kid — child

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