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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 124 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: rash · stock · track · bat · fall · foot · saw · scale

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — to keep track
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stock — shares
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fall — the season
  11. stock — goods
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. scale — in music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bat — in an idiom

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