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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — in music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. object — to protest
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spring — the season
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stock — shares
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stock — goods
  15. object — a thing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. firm — steady
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chest — a box
  21. plane — a tool
  22. scale — size or range
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. spring — of water

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