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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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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. dip — to sink
  4. hand — help
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stock — shares
  8. tube — a container
  9. pop — soda
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. craft — boats
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. last — to go on
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pop — to visit
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. craft — a skill

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