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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. sharp — clever
  9. hand — help
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rash — a series
  12. chair — a leader
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spell — magic
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — letters
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — a short time

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