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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. hand — help
  3. craft — boats
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ground — a position
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rock — music
  12. stock — goods
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stock — shares
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. tube — a container
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cabinet — ministers

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