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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. row — a line
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ball — a great time
  23. key — in music
  24. stock — goods

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