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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. hand — help
  3. spell — a short time
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. game — a match
  7. spell — letters
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spell — magic
  14. stock — goods
  15. plane — a tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. stock — shares
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. hand — in cards
  22. game — wild animals
  23. club — a group
  24. game — a kind of play

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