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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. object — a thing
  3. hand — help
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — shares
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — a series
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. object — to protest
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. object — an aim
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rash — on the skin

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