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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · dip · pitcher · pop · game · mate · fall · stock

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mate — a partner
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — the season
  7. stock — goods
  8. pop — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a friend
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pop — soda
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pop — to visit

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