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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: shower · game · deal · fall · stock · rash · fine · arm

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fine — high quality
  3. game — a match
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rash — a series
  6. fine — all right
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fall — the season
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. shower — rain

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