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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stock — shares
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. hand — in cards
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. staff — employees
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fine — all right
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. scale — size or range
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. hand — help
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — goods
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. scale — in music
  24. racket — for tennis

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