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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. club — for golf
  9. game — a match
  10. cell — in biology
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stock — shares
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. club — a group
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — goods
  22. club — for dancing
  23. kick — in football
  24. deal — a big deal

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