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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a dance
  6. suit — to fit
  7. hand — help
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cue — a hint
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. root — the cause
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stock — goods
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. wound — an injury
  22. suit — clothes
  23. cue — for pool
  24. lash — an eyelash

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