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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. stock — goods
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. object — an aim
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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